The present invention relates to a line-protecting element for use in a fishing reel having a line spool with at least one circular end wall, and a component with a circular-cylindrical surface enclosing said end wall at a radial distance therefrom, said line-protecting element being adapted to be mounted on said end wall to bridge the distance between this end wall and said enclosing surface in order, when using the fishing reel, to prevent a line wound on the line spool from being wedged between said end wall and said enclosing surface.
A prior-art line-protecting element of this type consists of a pipe cleaner bent into a ring and placed in a circumferential groove in the end wall of the line spool. This pipe cleaner ring is cheap and exerts but a slight friction when the line spool and the component on which the surface enclosing the end wall is formed, are rotating and/or oscillating axially in relation to each other. However, the pipe cleaner ring suffers from the drawback of being ruined relatively quickly by the action of water and soil and is complicated to exchange.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,058,269 discloses an annular line-protecting element obviating the above-mentioned shortcomings. This known line-protecting element is in the form of a ring of elastic material which is applied to the end wall of the line spool. The ring has a U- or V-shaped cross-section, with the legs of the U or V extending substantially axially. The radially outer leg abuts only with its free end on the enclosing surface, which means that only a slight friction is exerted between the ring and the enclosing surface. This friction is further reduced in that the part of the ring forming the radially outer leg is divided by axial slots into a plurality of flanges distributed along the circumference of the ring. The ring described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,058,269 is however disadvantageous in that the fishing line wound on the line spool, especially if the line has a small diameter (about 0.1-0.2 mm), may become wedged, during the operation of the fishing reel, between the radially outer leg of the ring and the enclosing surface.
This drawback has been overcome in the line-protecting element described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,061,288. This line-protecting element also is in the form of a ring of elastic material and is placed in a circumferential groove in the end wall of the line spool. The ring has an L-shaped cross-section, with one leg engaging the enclosing surface throughout its entire length. As a result, no wedge-shaped gap will exist between the ring and the enclosing surface where the line may become wedged. Since one leg engages the enclosing surface throughout its entire length, there will exist a substantial engagement surface, making the friction between the ring and the enclosing surface relatively high. This is of lesser importance in large-size fishing reels, e.g. reels for deep-sea fishing, but constitutes a considerable drawback in small-size fishing reels, especially in such reels where the line spool and the component on which the surface enclosing the end wall is formed, not only rotate but also oscillate axially in relation to each other.